Mark 8:31-33

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31 Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and that he would be rejected by the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. He told them that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from the dead after three days. 32 Jesus told them plainly what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to tell him not to talk like that. 33 But Jesus turned and looked at his followers. Then he told Peter not to talk that way. He said, “Go away from me, Satan! You don’t care about the things of God, but only about things people think are important.” ~ Mark 8:31-33

Today, we continue our study of Mark 8 where we discover the Lord Jesus leading His disciples toward what has been called the "Transfiguration" which took place on Mount Hermon. Now, Mount Hermon is 9,232 feet above sea level, the highest mountain in the Middle East. We can be sure the transfiguration took place on Mount Hermon because in Mark 8:27 the Lord Jesus and His disciples were traveling in that direction when Peter made the observation that the Lord Jesus was God. 

In v.31 of today's passage we read, "Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and that he would be rejected by the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. He told them that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from the dead after three days."

This was the first of three times the Lord Jesus told the disciples that they were going to Jerusalem where He would be killed. Even though this was a foreign idea to the disciples, the Lord Jesus knew He was going to Jerusalem to die a horrific death in order to pay the penalty for that which separates people from God. As a result of His death, burial and resurrection, justification has been provided for all who place their trust in His finished work.

From the opening verses of Scripture, God is presented as eternal, independent, holy, loving, righteous, and good. One crucial implication of this description of God is that God, by nature, is the moral standard. This is why God’s law is not external to Him. The God of the Bible is the law; His will and His nature determine what is right and wrong. He is the ultimate definer of all things good.

A biblical view of God is foundational to understanding the cross of Calvary. God's “righteousness, justice, and holiness” are a threefold cord which largely makes up His nature. This is why God cannot overlook man's sin. This is why He can not just wink at sin and dismiss it. Sin had to be dealt with, otherwise it would have triumphed. God’s holy justice demands that He punish all sin. 

As a result of the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the Garden, all people are conceived wicked, corrupt, and, therefore guilty before God. And, all are, therefore, under God's judicial sentence of death. Based upon God's moral perfection and man's imperfection, God decided to send His Son who willingly came to suffer the punishment for all of mankind's willful rebellion against God and all that is good and substantive. And, in order to redeem mankind, Christ had to become the ransom for man's freedom from sin. This results in man being able to enter into a personal relationship with God and therefore overcome the deceit of the evil one.

In v.32 of today's passage we read, "Jesus told them plainly what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to tell him not to talk like that."

Mark's gospel was written a bit different from the other three Gospel accounts because he received his information from none other than the Apostle Peter. Speaking for all the disciples, Peter took the Lord Jesus aside and tried to turn Him from the cross and His destiny. Can you imagine being in Peter's shoes, trying to turn around the execution of a plan that has always been eternal? And, Peter thought he was doing a noble thing. Oh, the deceit of the evil one.

In v.33 of today's passage we read, "But Jesus turned and looked at his followers. Then he told Peter not to talk that way. He said, “Go away from me, Satan! You don’t care about the things of God, but only about things people think are important."

After Peter spoke those words, the Lord Jesus responded with, “Go away from Me, Satan!” Of course, Peter was not Satan, but Peter's previous conclusion and demand was a temptation from Satan. God's presentation of the cross through the Scriptures is consistent and multifaceted. It’s like a beautiful gem that can be looked at from many angles. The cross of Christ is central to the New Covenant which results in the transformation of the willing human heart. 

We have all been tempted with Satan's philosophy on life, and, his message is based upon selfishness and arrogance, and, he will always tempt us to put ourselves first. Satan never tries to get us to follow him or to worship him, He always appeals to our pride and arrogance. He knows that if he can get us to worship ourselves, we will be indirectly worshipping him. 

When Peter resisted God's plan for the cross, he was siding himself with Satan without even knowing it. We live in a day when the evil one is lurking, seeking whom he may devour. We must be diligent to be defined by God's word, thus we will resist Satan's lures of selfishness, hatred, and lies. We must be diligent to stay close to God by talking to Him often and remaining in His word daily. God not only wants to rescue us from the diabolical schemes of the evil one, He wants to include us in on His rescuing efforts of others.

Mark 8:27-30

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27 Jesus and his followers went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah, and others say you are one of the prophets.” 29 Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” 30 Jesus warned his followers not to tell anyone who he was. ~ Mark 8:27-30

Today's passage provides us with the turning point in Mark’s gospel. There are two overall themes in the Gospel according to Mark: From Mark 1:1-Mark 8:26 we see the Servant who Rules, and, from Mark 8:27-Mark 16:16 we see the Ruler who Serves. Three times in the Gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus tells His disciples He is going to Jerusalem to be killed and to rise from the dead. Right on the heels of today's passage, the Lord Jesus gave the first of these three predictions.

In v.27-29 of today's passage we read, "27 Jesus and his followers went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, 'Who do people say I am?' 28 They answered, 'Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah, and others say you are one of the prophets.' 29 Then Jesus asked, 'But who do you say I am?' Peter answered, 'You are the Christ.'"

The Lord Jesus and His disciples traveled through the area of Caesarea Philippi where there were fourteen temples to different false gods. Not only to Caesar, but to Baal the Old Testament deity, Baal worship, and temples to another god called Pan, the false god in Greek mythology, half man, half goat, who played a little flute called a pan flute. 

The setting was provided and the Lord Jesus deliberately took His disciples to that place which had false worship of other gods in order to draw the contrast between the false gods and the one true God. It was in that context that the Lord Jesus asked the disciples two questions: one about the people’s view of Him, the other about the their view of Him. 

The view of the multitude of the Lord Jesus had not changed during the previous two years. They had come to believe the Lord Jesus to be one of the great Hebrew prophets. This indicates that they held Him in very high regard, for these were the great names of Israel. However, never once is it recorded that the populace had even the slightest inkling that the Lord Jesus was their Messiah. They held Him in very high regard, but they never thought of Him as their Messiah. 

On the other hand, Peter himself replied with the descriptive word "Christ" to describe the Lord Jesus. "Christ" is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Messiah which literally means "to smear." The idea was to be smeared with oil. Throughout the Scriptures, oil is analogous of the Holy Spirit. It was at His baptism by John the Baptist the Lord Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit. Messiah literally means "the smeared one" or "the anointed one." In the Old Testament there were three groups of people who were smeared with oil: the prophets, the priests, and the kings. The Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of all of these offices.

In addition, based on the route the Lord Jesus was taking, it is evident He was on His way to Mount Hermon. He did this deliberately because He knew that the Transfiguration would take place on that high mountain.

In v.30 of today's passage we read, "Jesus warned his followers not to tell anyone who he was."

The Lord Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone about His identity, but, later He will reverse this and say, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." But right then He didn't want there to develop some kind of a rebellion, and, have Rome come in and disrupt the plan. If the disciples had spread the word that He was the promised Messiah, with their incomplete understanding, they would have created an incomplete reaction among the people, one based upon incomplete knowledge. 

In response to Peter's description of the Lord Jesus, according to Matthew 16, the Lord Jesus said to Peter, "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you." 

We believe in the Lord Jesus in response to the enablement of the God of the Bible who, in contrast to the gods of this world's religions, is a personal being who desires a personal relationship with us. When we see and hear revelation, we see and hear from God Himself. In order to know God, we must seek Him in His way. 

Many have tried to gain knowledge of God through their unaided reason, or through some kind of subjective intuition. But the God of the Bible has told us not only who He is but also how we should seek knowledge of Him. That knowledge comes as we look through His created world to discover Him. In addition, God has given us His special revelation through the coming of His Son and through His word, the Bible. It is only through these appointed means can we come to know God as our Savior and friend.

Mark 8:22-26

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22 Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida. There some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch the man. 23 So Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on the man and asked, “Can you see now?” 24 The man looked up and said, “Yes, I see people, but they look like trees walking around.” 25 Again Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then the man opened his eyes wide and they were healed, and he was able to see everything clearly. 26 Jesus told him to go home, saying, “Don’t go into the town.” ~ Mark 8:22-26

Today, we return to our study of Mark 8. The setting for today's passage was the town of Bethsaida which was a village located near the beginning of the Jordan River on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. Mark is the only one of the Gospel writers who recorded this very interesting and strategically used story. 

In v.22-23 of today's passage we read, "22 Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida. There some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch the man. 23 So Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on the man and asked, 'Can you see now?'"

This miracle is different than the other miracles of the Lord Jesus because He spit on the eyes of this man. In three of His many miracles, the Lord Jesus used spit. In the first, the healing of the man who was deaf and mute, He spit on his own fingers before he touched the man's ears. In the second, the healing of the man who was born blind, He spit on the ground, mixed clay with it, and applied it to his eyes. Here, the Lord Jesus spit directly into the eyes of this blind man. We have been told, for eye trouble, the spit of the first born son has unique healing powers. By using His spit in this way, the Lord Jesus subtly declared Himself to be the first born son of the Father.

These healings were object lessons, pictures of the truth the Lord Jesus was offering to the willing heart. Spit comes out of the mouth. The imagery the Lord gave that day was: it is the Word of God which grants our hearts the ability to recognize and to pursue God. Through His mouth, the Lord Jesus was potentially awakening the faith of this blind man and all who were present that day.

Hebrews 11:3 reads, "It is by faith we understand that the whole world was made by God’s command so what we see was made by something that cannot be seen."

In v.24-25 of today's passage we read, "24 The man looked up and said, “Yes, I see people, but they look like trees walking around.” 25 Again Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then the man opened his eyes wide and they were healed, and he was able to see everything clearly."

There is no other account in Scripture of anything like this healing. On other occasions, the Lord Jesus spoke and instantly the person was made whole. Not so with this miracle. The Lord Jesus healed this man in two-stages. He spit on the man’s eyes, then He put His hands on the man’s eyes, because He wanted those witnessing it, including the disciples, to see that they are like this blind man, blind men in need of the Savior.

The significance of this two stage healing is: There is progression involved. It is one thing to be made alive to God or to be born again, it is yet another to grow in our ability to be defined by God on a continual basis. The most permanent healing in our lives is the healing that takes place in our souls. In order to make sense out of life, we must be in progression with the LORD. No relationship grows apart from progression, particularly progression of faith, and trust.

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "Jesus told him to go home, saying, 'Don’t go into the town.'"

The Lord Jesus told the healed blind man to not go into Bethsaida and tell the people there about this miracle. Christ had performed many miracles in Bethsaida, but the people there had rejected them in unbelief. And, as a result of their rejection, according to Matthew 11:21, the Lord had pronounced a woe upon them.

Rejection of truth causes loss of spiritual privilege. If we do not want God in our lives, He will leave us alone, which is the worst thing that could ever happen to us. This proves miracles do not give birth to faith in the God of the Bible, nor do they cause our faith to grow. In fact, our faith grows as a result of two things: that we run to God in the midst of our trials, and, hearing the spoken word of God in our daily walk with Him. You see, it is a relationship. It is more than just a ticket that gets us into heaven, it is about heaven coming to us. And, not only to us but through us. And, when we get to heaven, we will meet those whom we influenced to the point of them getting to heaven. Now, that, that will be an eye opener. Then, we will see what it is all truly about.

Mark 8:14-21

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14 His followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat; they had forgotten to bring more. 15 Jesus warned them, “Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 His followers discussed the meaning of this, saying, “He said this because we have no bread.” 17 Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your minds closed? 18 You have eyes, but you don’t really see. You have ears, but you don’t really listen. 19 Remember when I divided five loaves of bread for the five thousand? How many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?” They answered, “Twelve.” 20 “And when I divided seven loaves of bread for the four thousand, how many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?” ~ Mark 8:14-21

Today, we return to our study of Mark 8 where the Lord Jesus had just fed 4000 people with a few fish and seven loaves of bread. He performed miracles on the behalf of the people so that they could gain an inroad into much deeper contemplation for He knew their greatest need was to enter into a personal relationship with Himself. And, of course, no one can enter into a personal relationship with God until our sins are forgiven and we are "born again." But, the disciples were so focused on the temporal and the finite that they struggled to get the deeper meaning of it all.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "His followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat; they had forgotten to bring more."

It just so happened the disciples had with them in the boat a reminder of God's provision: one loaf of bread. The fact that the disciples had a leftover loaf of bread revealed what they were focused on. However, God uses even our myopic view of life to get His point, His teachings, His culture into our hearts.

The interactions between the infinite with the finite is most amazing. The Lord so arranges things that we are given ongoing reminders of His infinite nature. Yet, like the disciples, we are often found wanting in this arena. Like us, the understanding of the disciples that day was limited and finite. So, the Lord brought the disciples to a traffic circle wherein this loaf of bread quickly became an object lesson of a different sort.

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "Jesus warned them, “Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod."

The loaf of bread made it natural for the Lord Jesus to warn His disciples of the negative influence of the Jewish religious leaders and that of Herod. He drew their attention to the yeast that was used to make the loaf of bread to make His point. Yeast is a biblical illustration of permeation or influence. It makes dough rise by bacterial corruption. This is what the Lord Jesus was talking about with the disciples in that boat that day. "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod."

Sadly, the people for whom the Lord had just multiplied the bread and the fish, were so limited by the misguided teachings of the religious leaders, they missed the deeper teachings of that day. They missed the deeper teachings of the Lord Jesus because they were so in the habit of living for the temporal. The prison of the finite had prevented them from wandering off into the infinite which the Lord Jesus was offering them.

In v.16 of today's text we read, "His followers discussed the meaning of this, saying, “He said this because we have no bread."

Previously, the people had eaten so much they were satisfied physically. The disciples were not that much different than the people, they were also metaphysically challenged. They were so in tune to the physical that the metaphysical went unnoticed by them. This is mankind's default mode. We were born dead in our sins which means we were born dead to God. And, if we are never "born again" or made alive to God by His Spirit, we remain in our sinful condition. This is why the Lord Jesus came to remove that barrier which was created by our sinfulness.

In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "17 Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your minds closed? 18 You have eyes, but you don’t really see. You have ears, but you don’t really listen."

Most believe this life is about the acquisition of answers. Most believe exclamation marks are more important than question marks. The Lord Jesus demonstrated in His discussion with the disciples that questions are potentially life giving. If our pursuit is for truth, we will discover the secrets to life by entertaining the deeper and most of the time unwanted questions.

Like the disciples, we need spiritual healing, and questions help in the process of being healed spiritually. Those who do not entertain questions are like those who have eyes, but can not see, or, ears and can not hear. It is strategic that in the very next passage in this chapter the Lord Jesus will open the eyes of a blind man. More on that tomorrow.

In v.17 the Lord Jesus asked the disciples two very important questions. "Do you still not see or understand? Are your minds closed?" The Lord Jesus seemed surprised by the disciples lack of heart sight and spiritual understanding. The reason is given in the old adage, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." The freedom of choice is a beautiful thing. The problem with it is it takes a lot of trouble to get us to the place where we are desperate enough to ask the right questions and pursue the right answers before we get it.

When we fail to remember God's mercies, and our spiritual history, our hearts are strangely hardened and we lack that certain sensitivity that propels us into an ever deepening intimacy with the Lord. We lose that tenderness of heart and we become entitled. It is so easy to become angry and bitter, because we forget His goodness which is what melts our hearts in the first place.

In v.19-21 of today's passage we read, "19 Remember when I divided five loaves of bread for the five thousand? How many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?” They answered, “Twelve.” 20 “And when I divided seven loaves of bread for the four thousand, how many baskets did you fill with leftover pieces of food?” They answered, “Seven.” 21 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand yet?"

The Lord Jesus reminded the disciples of the feedings of the 5,000 and the 4,000, but, they had missed the point. When He fed the 5,000, there were twelve baskets of leftovers: one for each disciple. With the feeding of the 4,000, the disciples collected “seven” baskets of leftovers: the number for completeness or wholeness. We are only completed when we throw ourselves into an abandoned relationship with the Lord and we are consistently being defined by Him.

The Lord Jesus asked the disciples questions, giving them the chance to delve deeper with Him. This is what He does with all who follow Him. He satisfied the Gentile woman’s need for “bread”. He satisfied the need of the Gentile crowd with bread in the wilderness. The bread was meant to be an illustration for something deeper: the sustenance of the human soul is only found in its Maker.

Very often, we lack the same thing: understanding. We must understand the ways of the Lord that we might walk in them. But His way is upside down, inside out, and backwards. He calls us not to be served but to serve, and to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. There is a pattern there. We must connect the dots. In order to do this we must look to the Lord Jesus to satisfy our deepest longings. 

We must understand that the dots relate to the way the Lord works in our lives. The dots relate to how the Lord Jesus is leading us to know Him in the context of living in a fallen world. We connect the dots by asking of Him questions. It is all about personally relating to Him. 

Mark 8:10-13

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10 Then right away he got into a boat with his followers and went to the area of Dalmanutha. 11 The Pharisees came to Jesus and began to ask him questions. Hoping to trap him, they asked Jesus for a miracle from God. 12 Jesus sighed deeply and said, “Why do you people ask for a miracle as a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to you.” 13 Then Jesus left the Pharisees and went in the boat to the other side of the lake. ~ Mark 8:10-13

Today, we return to our study of Mark 8 where the Lord Jesus has just fed some 4000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish that His disciples had on hand. This miracle, the feeding of the 4000 is the second largest miracle meal provided by the Lord Jesus recorded in the Gospels, second only to the feeding of the 5000 plus in Mark 6. 

Our passage for today begins with v.10: "Then right away he got into a boat with his followers and went to the area of Dalmanutha."

This is the only mention in the Bible of the seaside community of Dalmanutha. In Matthew's account of this it says they sailed to a place called Magdala, the place where Mary Magdalene hailed. Magdala is a little town just north of Tiberias on the southwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Magdala is located near the ancient fishing village called Dalmanutha which was a stones throw away from Magdala. 

Years ago, when the Sea of Galilee was low, archeologist, Ken Dark, discovered this little harbor town submerged under the water between Magdala and Capernaum, which turned out to be Dalmanutha. For many years, the skeptics undermined the Bible's veracity because there seemed to be no evidence that this little fishing village existed. That is, until it was uncovered by the archeological dig. No archeological finding has ever contradicted the claims of the Bible.

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "The Pharisees came to Jesus and began to ask him questions. Hoping to trap him, they asked Jesus for a miracle from God."

Since the attention of large crowds of people had been arrested by the miracles and the teachings of the Lord Jesus, and they were starting to follow Him, and His popularity was growing, the "religious leaders" made yet another attempt to curtail the Lord Jesus. Out of sheer envy and jealousy in the name of "religion" they tried to trap Him by asking for a miracle from God.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "Jesus sighed deeply and said, "Why do you people ask for a miracle as a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to you.'"

In response to the request of the religious leaders, the Lord Jesus sighed deeply. Unlike His earlier sighs, this sigh was a deep sigh which communicated a stronger emotion over the spiritual blindness of these so called spiritual leaders. His grief was profound over the hard-heartedness of these men. Their obstinate unbelief in the face of massive evidence led them to willful ignorance.

The typical word that Mark used throughout his gospel for miracles, he did not use here. He most often used the word from which we get our English word dynamic. But here, in today's passage, he used the word from which we get our English word sign. 

These "religious leaders" wanted God the Father to personally authenticate the Lord Jesus in front of them. They wanted a personal, heavenly manifestation from God the Father giving the Lord Jesus Christ the authority as their Messiah. They asked for this because in several Old Testament passages they had been warned that even false prophets would be able to work miracles.  

In v.13 we read, "Then Jesus left the Pharisees and went in the boat to the other side of the lake."

When we compare today's passage with Matthew 16, the Lord Jesus said a few things that Mark chose not to include. In addition, the Lord Jesus said to these stubborn religious leaders, "You can tell the weather, but you can’t discern the signs of the times." Then He went on to say, "You’re a wicked and adulterous generation." 

Then the Lord Jesus reminded the religious leaders of the sign given through the Old Testament prophet Jonah. He said, "As Jonah was in the whale for three days, I’m going to be in the ground for three days." "That," He said, "will be the last sign that will be given to you." And when that sign came, and the word got back to the religious leaders of Israel that He had risen from the dead, they called the Roman soldiers in who were guarding the tomb and bribed them to lie about the resurrection. When they totally rejected the light, they were permanently  enveloped by the darkness.

What a contrast we are given here between these Jewish religious leaders and the Gentile woman in the previous chapter. The Lord Jesus insulted both, but only the desperate woman chose not to play the victim card. In the end, what these religious leaders did was to close their hearts deliberately to the very One whom they said they worshipped.

Mark 8:1-9

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1 Another time there was a great crowd with Jesus that had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his followers and said, 2 “I feel sorry for these people, because they have already been with me for three days, and they have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way. Some of them live a long way from here.” 4 Jesus’ followers answered, “How can we get enough bread to feed all these people? We are far away from any town.” 5 Jesus asked, “How many loaves of bread do you have?” They answered, “Seven.” 6 Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, and divided the bread. He gave the pieces to his followers to give to the people, and they did so. 7 The followers also had a few small fish. After Jesus gave thanks for the fish, he told his followers to give them to the people also. 8 All the people ate and were satisfied. Then his followers filled seven baskets with the leftover pieces of food. 9 There were about four thousand people who ate. After they had eaten, Jesus sent them home. ~ Mark 8:1-9

In Today's passage the Lord Jesus performed another miracle where He fed a lot of people who had come to hear His teachings. The feeding of the 4000 is the second largest miracle meal provided by the Lord Jesus that is recorded in the Gospels, second only to the feeding of the 5000 plus in Mark 6. 

In v.1-3 of today's passage we read, "1 Another time there was a great crowd with Jesus that had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his followers and said, 2 'I feel sorry for these people, because they have already been with me for three days, and they have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way. Some of them live a long way from here.'"

Today's passage begins with the words "Another time." These words are significant because they inform us this miracle was different than that which is recorded in Mark 6. At the earlier miracle the feeding of the 5000 plus, the crowd was with the Lord Jesus just one day. In today's passage, the crowd was with Him for three days. In the feeding of the 5000 plus, the Lord Jesus told the people to sit down on the grass. Based upon these details, we know today's miracle was a separate incident to the miracle of Mark 6, although both miracles were created by the compassion of the Lord for the need of the people.

In today's passage, the people are told to sit on the ground, and  there is no mention of grass. In the Mark 6 miracle, there were five loaves and two fish. In this account, the feeding of the 4000, there are seven loaves of bread and a few fish. In Mark 6, there were twelve baskets of leftovers. In today's account, there were seven. And the baskets are different. In Mark 6, the twelve baskets were the smaller lunch baskets, whereas, in this account, there were seven large baskets of leftovers. Also, there was a clear difference in the locations. The Mark 6 miracle took place in Galilee, whereas, this miracle took place in the are called "the Decapolis."

In v.4 of today's passage we read, "Jesus’ followers answered, “How can we get enough bread to feed all these people? We are far away from any town."

In response to the compassionate statement of the Lord Jesus that the people had gone three days without food, the disciples question how they could possibly feed "these people." Oh, how the disciples forget so quickly. But, just as I question the faith of those disciples, I realize I am guilty as they. I find that I forget the many miracles the Lord has performed in my life. The comforting part of it all is: This dilemma was strategic for all involved.

I always find it quite helpful to remember that when God wants to do something wonderful in my life, He couches His performance with some kind of a difficulty in my life. When God wants to do something really wonderful, he starts with an impossibility.

In today's account, thousands of people had gathered in the wilderness. Add to that the forgetfulness of the disciples of the earlier miracle, and the stage was set for the Lord to do something unforgettable for some. That day the disciples had to entertain a posture that I have wrestled with countless times in my life. They had no idea how the the problem would be resolved. And that is the biggest part of our struggles: NOT KNOWING WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

In v.5-7 of today's passage we read, "5 Jesus asked, 'How many loaves of bread do you have?' They answered, 'Seven.' 6 Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, and divided the bread. He gave the pieces to his followers to give to the people, and they did so. 7 The followers also had a few small fish. After Jesus gave thanks for the fish, he told his followers to give them to the people also."

At the feeding of the 5000 plus in Mark 6, the Lord Jesus fed the Jewish crowd. Here, He feeds a Gentile crowd. He fed the Jews first. In both miracles, the Lord Jesus gave food to his disciples first, then the disciples give the food to the multitudes. Here we are given an important principle: God's mercy and grace is to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. 

The Lord Jesus did not need the disciples to be involved in the process, but, He involved them in order to teach them the lesson of the Great Commission, "Go into all the world." He does not need any of us to do His work. But He limits Himself to using imperfect tools to get the job done because it benefits us.

In v.8-9 of today's passage we read, "8 All the people ate and were satisfied. Then his followers filled seven baskets with the leftover pieces of food. 9 There were about four thousand people who ate. After they had eaten, Jesus sent them home."

After the crowd ate the food, they were completely satisfied. And, there were seven large baskets leftover. Here, in today's passage, the Lord Jesus was demonstrating His heart for "these people." Interestingly, in every single phase of Jesus' ministry He ended with a feeding. When He was finished ministering in Galilee, He finished it with the feeding of the 5000. When He was finished ministering to the Gentiles, the second phase of His ministry, He finished it with this feeding of the 4000. When He was finished with His Judean ministry, just before the cross, He ended it with a third feeding, the Last Supper.

Many of the Lord's miracles recorded in the Scriptures were done on the physical level. But, He never wants us to focus on the physical only. He always wants us to see the substance beneath each miracle. He knows we all have this deep spiritual hunger in our souls that is much deeper than any physical need we might have. 

In Matthew 4:4 we read, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"

Throughout my life my problems have always served me to be useful roadsigns pointing me to God. There have been times when I have responded to these roadsigns quicker than with others, but I have learned that when I respond to them, they propel me deeper into a more meaningful relationship with God.

Most trials seem on the surface to present themselves to us as obstacles that prevent us from a more meaningful life. But, our trials are not obstacles, they are the fuel for deepening our dependency upon God. 

It is critical to see that, while these trials might provide momentary set-backs to our visible progress in the faith, they are ultimately providing the fuel we need to get to a deeper place with God. These trials build into our lives passion, perseverance, and a deeper dependency upon the Lord that goes far beyond what we could think or imagine. More often than not, God answers our prayer for greater wholeness, not by providing better circumstances, but by providing trials which aid our hearts ability to see Him.

Mark 7:31-37

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31 Then Jesus left the area around Tyre and went through Sidon to Lake Galilee, to the area of the Ten Towns. 32 While he was there, some people brought a man to him who was deaf and could not talk plainly. The people begged Jesus to put his hand on the man to heal him. 33 Jesus led the man away from the crowd, by himself. He put his fingers in the man’s ears and then spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to the man, “Ephphatha!” (This means, “Be opened.”) 35 Instantly the man was able to hear and to use his tongue so that he spoke clearly. 36 Jesus commanded the people not to tell anyone about what happened. But the more he commanded them, the more they told about it. 37 They were completely amazed and said, “Jesus does everything well. He makes the deaf hear! And those who can’t talk he makes able to speak.” ~ Mark 7:31-37

Today, we conclude our study of Mark 7. The Lord Jesus began His earthly ministry in the northern region of Israel, and, for well over a year He ministered in that region. As it is today, Galilee was a rural area, and, the people are far more common and less educated. Before leaving that area for Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus traveled over the border to the north and west of Israel and entered into Gentile territory once again. His goal was the region known as the Decapolis or the Twelve Towns.

In v.31 of today's passage we read, "Then Jesus left the area around Tyre and went through Sidon to Lake Galilee, to the area of the Ten Towns."

The Decapolis or the ten Greek Towns was occupied by many Romans. As a result, the culture there was quite defined by the many Roman soldiers who were stationed there. Earlier, when Jesus was in that area, the people asked Him to leave because they thought Him to be a threat to their way of life. The Lord Jesus complied but commanded a man whom He had delivered from a legion of demons to tell others what the Lord had done for him. 

In Mark 5:17-20, we learn that when the Lord Jesus had returned to that eastern shore area, the locals brought to Him a deaf mute man, and they begged Him to help him. This man is an illustration of all who out of our desperation have turned to the Lord. As a side note, Abraham, the first Jew, was a Gentile before he became a Jew. It was God's culture or definition of things that brought about the difference.

In v.32-34 of today's passage we read, "32 While he was there, some people brought a man to him who was deaf and could not talk plainly. The people begged Jesus to put his hand on the man to heal him. 33 Jesus led the man away from the crowd, by himself. He put his fingers in the man’s ears and then spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to the man, 'Ephphatha!' (This means, 'Be opened.')"

The once skeptical people in the Decapolis brought this deaf and mute man to the Lord Jesus who took him aside and healed him by placing His fingers in his ears, and after spitting, He touched the man’s tongue. Since the man was deaf, he could not hear, but, he could feel. The Lord to put His fingers in this man's ears so that he could feel the touch of God who was addressing his ear problem. And, since speech is tied to our ability to hear, the Lord Jesus then touched the man's tongue. He spat and touched his tongue. To somebody who was so helpless, the touch of the Messiah was a great encouragement, and, it bolstered his faith in the Lord Jesus. 

When the Lord Jesus looked in the mute man's eyes, he saw the look of faith. It was at that point when the man was immediately healed. Faith is the required ingredient to receiving anything from God. With the physical healing, the Lord Jesus awakened this man's faith and caused him to believe in Him. 

Looking up to heaven, the Lord Jesus revealed the source of His power. God's power, when accessed, is always accessed through our submission to His will. The Lord Jesus spoke, not to the man’s ears, but to his heart. This is what He does for all of us, He speaks to our hearts. And, He has been known to use some rather unusual means to make an audience out of our hearts. Just after I had graduated from high school, I didn’t know God, so I didn’t know how to listen to Him or how to speak with Him. As you know, in 1981, my father became very sick to the point of death. Just three days before his death, the Lord Jesus met me right where I was. As a result, I became a follower of Christ.

Although my emotional blockages hindered my ability to understand, over time the Lord communicated with me in a way that I could understand. Somehow, He enabled me to know that His intentions for me were all good and that I could trust Him. Like the deaf and mute man, I sensed His deep sigh many times. He probed the deep places of my heart, where the pains of life had left many scars. He confronted that deep, searing pain, that was in me due to losing both of my parents at a young age. He performed His work of enabling my heart to see & hear Him for myself mostly through my pain. Strategically, He used my pain to enable my heart to recognize and to know Him.

In v.35-37 of today's passage we read, "35 Instantly the man was able to hear and to use his tongue so that he spoke clearly. 36 Jesus commanded the people not to tell anyone about what happened. But the more he commanded them, the more they told about it. 37 They were completely amazed and said, 'Jesus does everything well. He makes the deaf hear! And those who can’t talk he makes able to speak.'"

The Lord Jesus, up to this point, had been dealing with the man as an individual. But now He speaks to the crowd, and charges them to tell no one. He did this, as on previous occasions, because the faith of this crowd and the faith of the man who was healed were on two different levels. The eyes of the man who was healed were fixed upon the God who acts. That is where faith must rest. So when this crowd, with its low level of understanding, started to disperse, the Lord Jesus charged them not to tell others, but, He did not say that to the man He healed, for his eyes were fixed upon the God who is ready to act. 

Both of these people in the latter half of Mark 7 were Gentiles that the Lord Jesus went out of His way to meet. Like them, none of us have any right being offered His salvation and gaining eternal admission into heaven. None of us have any standing on our own before God. But just like this desperate woman and this helpless man, the Lord Jesus came looking for us to offer to us what we could not produce for ourselves. 

Have you entered into a personal relationship with the Lord? Have you heard His voice, for yourself? Like the desperate woman and the helpless man, when we come to faith in Him, we become living symbols of what the Lord can do in and through our willing hearts. This was not only what we needed, this is what this desperate world needs. Like you and me, they need His undying love to set them free. The lost need the Lord Jesus to open their ears and loosens their tongues. And, once the Lord has done this work in our hearts, we are granted His heart to see the lost set free.

Mark 7:24-30

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24 Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not stay hidden. 25 A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard that he was there. So she quickly came to Jesus and fell at his feet. 26 She was Greek, born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. 27 Jesus told the woman, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want.” 28 But she answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table can eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then Jesus said, “Because of your answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 The woman went home and found her daughter lying in bed; the demon was gone. ~ Mark 7:24-30

After a walk of about thirty-five miles, the Lord Jesus was now in the Mediterranean Sea town of Tyre. Earlier in this chapter, the observant to the law religious leaders of Israel accused the Lord Jesus of violating the Word of God. Interestingly, these "leaders" adherence to the "Law of Moses" and all of their additions to it resulted in them being smug and more and more separate from the people who need the truth most, the Gentiles. The Lord Jesus took the disciples to Tyre to illustrate in terms of race what He had just taught in terms of food. All foods are clean, and all peoples are clean, in the sense of being accepted by God. There are no longer any distinctions among foods, as being defiling or undefiling, just as there are no distinctions among people. 

In v.24-26 of today's passage we read, "24 Jesus left that place and went to the area around Tyre. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not stay hidden. 25 A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard that he was there. So she quickly came to Jesus and fell at his feet. 26 She was Greek, born in Phoenicia, in Syria. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter."

As the Lord Jesus and His disciples entered Tyre, the crowd was so great that He had to slip away into a house to escape them. In that home in Tyre there was a desperate Gentile woman who asked the Lord Jesus to cast a demon from her daughter. Her desperation gave room to potential hope enabling her to bring her desperate need to the Lord. Her faith had brought her to possible rejection, but she was so desperate. The risk she ran was great in the eyes of all in that day. Women were not supposed to approach a man whom she did not know. This kind of faith, though, is the key to what life is truly all about: encountering God and telling others about Him.

In Matthew's Gospel we are told this woman recognized the Lord Jesus and used the Jewish messianic title to address Him. She said, "Son of David, have mercy on my daughter for she is severely demon-possessed." It's interesting; she's a Gentile using the Jewish covenant name to make her appeal to the Lord Jesus. Unlike the Jewish religious leaders, this lady was being defined by God.

In v.27 of today's passage we read, "Jesus told the woman, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. First let the children eat all they want."

The Lord Jesus employed an illustration that this woman clearly understood. The context of this analogy is the supper table.  

And, the Lord Jesus used the Greek word for dog here that was less offensive than another He could have used. He used the word that described the pets that one would have in the home, not the scavengers out in the allies. 

The Lord Jesus used this illustration to deliberately push whatever faith this woman had in Him to the edge. This desperate lady was like the family dog that feeds on crumbs that have fallen from the table. The Lord Jesus is always on the lookout for such faith. He saw this woman's desperation and her subsequent faith that made this miracle come to pass.

In v.28-29 of today's passage we read, "28 But she answered, 'Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table can eat the children’s crumbs.' 29 Then Jesus said, 'Because of your answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.'"

The lady's theology was spot on. She was not under the Abrahamic Covenant. She had long realized she was not one of the children around the dinner table. And, she knew this term used for "dog" was used by the Jews to describe the Gentiles. In context, this word dog was an insult. But, that did not keep her from begging for the scraps. She was convinced she was not worthy of the choice food on the table. 

It was this answer that resulted in the deliverance of her daughter from the demon. For the first and last time in the gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus heals someone from a distance. This happened on the heels of the Lord Jesus exposing the utter mindlessness of the religious leaders who were bent upon earning God's favor. 

Here, the observant Jew was given yet another example that he was no longer to be defined by his religious activities which drew out their hearts away from Him to self. Like this gentile lady in Tyre, we must be bent upon being defined but by a pure heart in the God of the Bible who has spoken over us through His Son who gave His life to win our hearts. 

Spirituality is more than just a carefully observed ritual. Spirituality is a wild search for God in the arena of our desperately mixed up souls. It is a search involving an unexpected mix of uncomfortable reality, trustworthy freedom, frustrating surprises, and a healthy dose of desperation.

In v.30 of today's passage we read, "The woman went home and found her daughter lying in bed; the demon was gone."

When this gentile woman arrived at her home, her daughter was lying quietly in her bed. And the demon was no longer in her. That very day, a despised Gentile became a grateful recipient of the grace of God. Take note of the formula: great desperation plus a little faith appropriately placed in the Lord Jesus Christ equals wholeness. We are never quite convinced that the Lord Jesus is all we need until He is all we have.

Mark 7:14-23

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14 After Jesus called the crowd to him again, he said, “Every person should listen to me and understand what I am saying. 15 There is nothing people put into their bodies that makes them unclean. People are made unclean by the things that come out of them. 16 Let those with ears use them and listen.” 17 When Jesus left the people and went into the house, his followers asked him about this story. 18 Jesus said, “Do you still not understand? Surely you know that nothing that enters someone from the outside can make that person unclean. 19 It does not go into the mind, but into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body.” (When Jesus said this, he meant that no longer was any food unclean for people to eat.) 20 And Jesus said, “The things that come out of people are the things that make them unclean. 21 All these evil things begin inside people, in the mind: evil thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, adultery, 22 greed, evil actions, lying, doing sinful things, jealousy, speaking evil of others, pride, and foolish living. 23 All these evil things come from inside and make people unclean.” - Mark 7:14-23

As He did earlier in Mark 4, the Lord Jesus utilized another parable in His teaching in today's passage. This time He use it in order to address the misguided religion of the religious leaders. Religion is man trying to earn God's favor, but, this is impossible for us to do. In fact, this is why the Lord Jesus came: in order to provide a perfect sacrifice to make those willing of heart enough to believe in Him right before God.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "After Jesus called the crowd to him again, he said, “Every person should listen to me and understand what I am saying."

The key to avoiding "religion" is to "listen to" and to "understand" what the Lord Jesus says. The problem with religion is it focuses on the wrong thing; it focuses on the externals. In fact, it focuses on the externals so much that when we succeed in something, we start feeling superior to others. This is what these religious leaders were in the practice of doing. All the while, the problem was not external, it was internal. The heart of the matter is always a matter of the heart. 

The Greek word translated "listen" means to pay attention so much that the Lord defines us. The word translated "understand" means to fit all the little pieces together until we comprehend the main idea and how it looks in our daily lives. There are few things more dangerous for us than not being defined by God.

In v.15-16 of today's passage we read, "15 There is nothing people put into their bodies that makes them unclean. People are made unclean by the things that come out of them. 16 Let those with ears use them and listen."

Five times in this passage we have a form of the word "unclean." It means to be impure, corrupt, or defiled. Throughout Scripture we are told to be able to distinguish between what is impure and what is pure. That which is pure is consistent with God's definition of it, and, that which is impure does not align with what God says on the subject.

At the root to our inability to walk in the truth and to benefit from it is the problem of an impure hearts. It is from the heart that all our evil thoughts and choices emanate. These religious folk carefully obeyed the food laws, but they did not have a heart relationship with the God of the Bible. Their problem was that their hearts were not engaged. And, the way they treated others bore this out.

The food laws given by God in His Word were never meant to make anyone right with God. In fact, they were given by God to improve the quality of our day to day life. The food laws were about sanctification not justification. Sanctification is what happens to us after we have been "born again" and made right in God's eyes through the cross of His Son. As the Lord Jesus highlights here, the law was never meant to address the core of mankind's ultimate problem: a hardened heart toward God. The changing of the hardened heart is the role of God's grace, not His Law.

In v.17-19 of today's passage we read, "17 When Jesus left the people and went into the house, his followers asked him about this story. 18 Jesus said, “Do you still not understand? Surely you know that nothing that enters someone from the outside can make that person unclean. 19 It does not go into the mind, but into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body.” (When Jesus said this, he meant that no longer was any food unclean for people to eat.)"

All of mankind since the Fall in the Garden of Eden has been polluted by sin. Christianity is the only "world religion" (it is really not a religion) that teaches Original Sin, meaning that man was born with a wicked, sinful heart. And, it is sin that has separated us from having a personal relationship with God and from loving others as we ought. 

When we entered into a personal relationship with God, He, through the Holy Spirit began writing His law on our hearts. The essence of His law is "to love." And, through His Spirit and His Word, He teaches us His love for us, modeling for us what it looks like to love others. It has always confused me when Christians justify treating someone in a way that God does not treat us. One way of knowing that you are growing in a meaningful personal relationship with God is seen in how we treat other people, especially the worst.

Brennan Manning writes in his book Abba's Child, "My identity as Abba’s child is not an abstraction or a tap dance into religiosity. It is the core truth of my existence. Living in the wisdom of accepted tenderness profoundly affects my perception of reality, the way I respond to people and their life situations. How I treat my brothers and sisters from day to day, whether they be Caucasian, African, Asian, or Hispanic; how I react to the sin-scarred wino on the street; how I respond to interruptions from people I dislike; how I deal with ordinary people in their ordinary unbelief on an ordinary day will speak the truth of who I am more poignantly than the pro-life sticker on the bumper of my car."

In v.20-23 of today's passage we read, "20 And Jesus said, 'The things that come out of people are the things that make them unclean. 21 All these evil things begin inside people, in the mind: evil thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, adultery, 22 greed, evil actions, lying, doing sinful things, jealousy, speaking evil of others, pride, and foolish living. 23 All these evil things come from inside and make people unclean.'" 

All that defilement comes from inside, and no ritual, no attempt at morality, no attempt at religion can alter that defilement at all. Our need has always been the need a new heart. This is the promise of salvation. This is why the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again." This is the work of the gospel. And, we make no contribution to that other than allowing Christ to embrace us. I trust you have been embraced. If not, cry out to Him right now and He will come running to your deepest need.

Mark 7:8-13

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8 You have stopped following the commands of God, and you follow only human teachings.” 9 Then Jesus said to them, “You cleverly ignore the commands of God so you can follow your own teachings. 10 Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say a person can tell his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you, but it is Corban—a gift to God.’ 12 You no longer let that person use that money for his father or his mother. 13 By your own rules, which you teach people, you are rejecting what God said. And you do many things like that.” ~ Mark 7:8-13

Today, we return to our study of Mark 7 where the Lord Jesus has confronted the religious leaders who had come to Galilee from Jerusalem to try to discredit Him. When we are not being defined by the Lord, we are most threatened by Him when He so works in our lives in order to arrest control of our lives away from us. This is why the religious leaders of Jesus' day had such a hard time with Him. They weren't willing to acknowledge Him for who He was, and, they were not willing to let Him have control over their lives.

In v.8-9 of today's passage we read, "8 You have stopped following the commands of God, and you follow only human teachings.” 9 Then Jesus said to them, “You cleverly ignore the commands of God so you can follow your own teachings."

Somewhere along the way, the religious leaders had rejected their worship of the God of the Bible and they were being defined by their definitions of all things. It is so easy for the truth to be lost from one generation to another. This is why we must be diligent, on a daily basis, to bow our wills to Him, so that His truth perpetuates in and through our lives to the generations that follow.

In v.10-11 of today's passage we read, "10 Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say a person can tell his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you, but it is Corban—a gift to God.’"

The Lord Jesus used the fifth of the ten commandments to make His point here. To honor our parents partly means when they are old, we should take care of them. The religious leaders who came from Jerusalem this particular day had figured out a way around the fifth command by what they called "Corban" which was a way of dedicating their bank account to the Lord, prohibiting them from taking care of the needs of the parents. The word "Corban" is only found in this passage and it literally means: "devoted to God as a gift." 

Anything the religious leaders had dedicated to God, they were not required to let people in need use, even their own parents. They got around the commandment of God by inventing a human tradition. It was the equivalent of when someone makes up a will and decides to donate their property to a benevolent organization when they die. But while they're alive they still have full use of it until they die. These religious leaders had come up with this idea so that they would not have to take care of their parents in their old age. The religious leaders kept the law, but not God's law, and, in so doing, they appeared to be in relationship with God but they were not.

In v.12-13 of today's passage we read, "12 You no longer let that person use that money for his father or his mother. 13 By your own rules, which you teach people, you are rejecting what God said. And you do many things like that."

In context here, the Lord Jesus traced for us what it looks like when the traditions of men supersede His Word. We go the way of these religious leaders when we fail to understand the point of God's definitions of all things, and, our need to allow Him to define us. Throughout the Bible, God gives us His definitions of all things in order to reiterate what life is really all about: "His desire to define us for our good." But, we have replaced His definitions instead with ours, thinking we know better than He. 

God's goal is the apprehension of our hearts, but He never forces His truth upon us. He desires for this process to be organic and thus real. Instead of giving Him our hearts, we fall into the trap of giving Him our stuff like our money, time, and interests. Subconsciously we do not allow Him access to the vulnerable spots in our hearts. This is where tradition begins, by not being defined by God, and then, we substitute His Word with ours.

All of this leads us to not loving others as we ought. This is what religious people do, they embrace ritual without reality. And, ritualism without reality leads us to the lack of righteousness and the subsequent trusting relationships we desire and need. And, without a personal relationship with God, ritualism profits us nothing; it is just stale old religion that we all disdain.

The religious leaders saw their sins in their sins, but they did not see their sins in their religion. The solution for such hypocrisy is repentance. We must be careful to embrace God for ourselves. Even though we may be in a relationship with God, we can fall into these religious patterns. The problem with this is trying to make it through this life on our own. The answer is to be embraced by God on a daily basis and to be subsequently defined by Him. We are being defined by God when we walk in obedience to His Word. It is not that we earn His favor, we can never do that; It is that we are being defined by Him for our good and for His glory.

Mark 7:1-7

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1 When some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem, they gathered around Jesus. 2 They saw that some of Jesus’ followers ate food with hands that were not clean, that is, they hadn’t washed them. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat before washing their hands in the way required by their unwritten laws. 4 And when they buy something in the market, they never eat it until they wash themselves in a special way. They also follow many other unwritten laws, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots.) 5 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law said to Jesus, “Why don’t your followers obey the unwritten laws which have been handed down to us? Why do your followers eat their food with hands that are not clean?” 6 Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right when he spoke about you hypocrites. He wrote, ‘These people show honor to me with words, but their hearts are far from me. 7 Their worship of me is worthless. The things they teach are nothing but human rules. ~ Mark 7:1-7

Today, we transition into Mark 7 where Mark continues to present the Lord Jesus as the Servant. You will remember that there are two overall themes in this gospel: In Mark 1:1-8:26 we are given glimpses of the Servant who Rules, and, in Mark 8:27-16:16 we see the Ruler who Serves.

In v.1-4 of today's passage we read, "1 When some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem, they gathered around Jesus. 2 They saw that some of Jesus’ followers ate food with hands that were not clean, that is, they hadn’t washed them. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews never eat before washing their hands in the way required by their unwritten laws. 4 And when they buy something in the market, they never eat it until they wash themselves in a special way. They also follow many other unwritten laws, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and pots.)"

On this particular day religious leaders from Jerusalem came some 90 miles to challenge the Lord Jesus because His popularity was growing at an alarming rate. They wanted to find a way to minimize Him, because He was a threat to their religion, power and control over the people. According to them the Lord Jesus and His disciples were not religious enough.

The tradition of the religious leaders said, "In order to be properly clean, one had to hold his hands out, with palms up, hands cupped slightly, and water poured over them. Then the fist of one hand was used to scrub the other, and then the other fist would scrub the first hand. Finally the hands again were held out, with palms down, and water was poured over them a second time to cleanse away the dirty water the defiled hands had been scrubbed with. Only then would a person's hands be ceremonially clean."

The religious folks of the Lord Jesus day had made Judaism about their performance. They had lost sight of the fact that the message of salvation is the same throughout the Bible. Salvation is a free gift from God for all willing enough to believe in it and receive it. It has always been about the object of our faith which is the God of the Bible, not us. God draws attention to the importance of our faith in Him because He has always wanted us to be invested from the hearts in Him.

This delegation from Jerusalem came deliberately to try to find something with which to oppose the Lord Jesus. Their motive was antagonism. They knew that if they could find something, they could turn the crowd against Him. This tells us how strongly these traditions were held. The disciples washed their hands before they ate, but according to the threatened religious leaders, they did not do it in the right way.

Now, the traditions had begun in right ways, but as the religious leaders added on to what God had required in the Old Testament, they went array. We must always remember, God gave man the Law for man's benefit, not to so bind us that we can not operate with Him from our hearts. It was the interpretations of the religious leaders of the interpretations of other religious leaders that made things go array. By this time, there was built up a tremendous mass of tradition which demanded inflexible obedience and scrupulous observance of even the minor details, so that the purpose of the Law was lost and forgotten.

In v.5-7 of today's passage we read, "5 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law said to Jesus, “Why don’t your followers obey the unwritten laws which have been handed down to us? Why do your followers eat their food with hands that are not clean?” 6 Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right when he spoke about you hypocrites. He wrote, ‘These people show honor to me with words, but their hearts are far from me. 7 Their worship of me is worthless. The things they teach are nothing but human rules."

Here, we learn the Lord Jesus offended the religious leaders by not following their ritual. Using Isaiah 29:13, the Lord Jesus highlighted the result of tradition not rooted in the Word of God. He called it hypocrisy. Twenty-three times in the Gospels the Lord Jesus used the word hypocrite. Twenty-one of the twenty-three times He spoke it to the religious leaders. He reserved that scathing term for religious, legalistic folk.

The Lord Jesus didn't tolerate these so called leaders. "Hypocrite" was a Greek word used of actors on a stage. They wore masks and played their parts. They really weren't what they projected; they were actors. Those who preach by the yard but practice by the inch must be dealt with by the foot. In today's passage, the Lord Jesus was first in line to apply that reasoning.

The remedy to hypocrisy is worship. Prayer is when we are preoccupied with our needs. Praise is when we are preoccupied with our blessings. Worship is when we are preoccupied with our God. Worship is ascribing worth to something or someone. It is authentic and it comes from the heart. And, it has been etched upon our hearts to worship God. As a result we will find ourselves being defined by Him, because what we worship defines us.

Hypocrisy ignores the word of God. The Greek word used here for "tradition" is the word for "substitution." And the substitute is always something "good." We would never think of offering God something bad! Yet, if it is not defined by Him, which will always minimize us, it is not true worship. Much of what we call worship today would not be defined by God as worship.

Human beings are at their core defined by what they worship rather than primarily by what they think, know, or believe. That is bound up with the central Augustinian claim that we are what we love.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/dallas_willard_581412?src=t_worship

Human beings are at their core defined by what they worship rather than primarily by what they think, know, or believe. That is bound up with the central Augustinian claim that we are what we love.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/dallas_willard_581412?src=t_worship

Human beings are at their core defined by what they worship rather than primarily by what they think, know, or believe. That is bound up with the central Augustinian claim that we are what we love.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/dallas_willard_581412?src=t_worship

Worship is the response of the heart to the knowledge of the mind when the mind is rightly understanding God and the heart is rightly valuing God. Our worship of God is conditioned by the way we understand Him. And, if our understanding isn't framed up by His Word, we will lack in our worship of Him. The more we know Him, the more varied will be the ways that we will worship Him. Thus, our worship should increase with the growth of our understanding of Him.